Residents in the southeastern part of Russellville may have found walking outdoors isn’t as enjoyable as it was a few weeks ago as an overabundance of midge flies has been reported in the area.

The flies, which according to epa.gov, resemble small mosquitoes with a fuzzy antenna and are generally indicators of poor water quality or tolerant of pollution. Some residents in the infested region, which surrounds one of City Corp.’s wastewater treatment plants, argue the plant itself may have been the original home of the flies.

“I’ve got fly strips hanging around the entrances to my house and they’re getting covered with these things,” resident Kent Bullard said. “It’s a problem. It’s an infestation and something needs to be done.”

City Corp. General Manager Craig Noble agreed the number of midge flies in the area has increased significantly since last year, attributing the population growth to this year’s winter. The facility, he added, has been at present location for 48 years and an abundance of midge flies is expected.

“It’s a natural occurrence, but it seems to be more pronounced this year than in years past,” Noble said. “Basically, the reason we’re experiencing more numbers is because the mild winter didn’t kill off any of the larva, so conditions have been right for them to proliferate.”

Noble added midge flies are in abundance each year, regardless of the plant’s funcions. However, he said, the utility took measures last week to try to prevent providing future habitat or the bugs. “We’ve taken equipment offline to try to increase the water flow and make basically where we can flood the environment where these may brood,” he said. “And the good news is that we’ve seen about a 75 percent reduction from this time last week ... We might have started dealing with it earlier than homeowners, but maybe they’re coming to the end of the life cycle of these things and it’ll all be over.”

While the pests may die out with time, Mayor Bill Eaton said he has been working to resolve the issue with homeowners in the area.

“This is just infomration that I’ve been advised upon by other authorities, but a certain amount of them is a good thing,” Eaton said. “But if they get out of balance for whatever reason, then they become a nuisance and that’s what’s happened at this particular time. How to maintain that balance is what we’re looking at right now.”

While Bullard expressed concerns of health risks of the flies coming from the wastewater treatment facility, Eaton and Noble both said the flies are no more than just a nuisance.

“It’s a nuisance. It’s not a life issue or a safety issue ... it’s a very numerous pest,” Noble said. “It’s just a naturally occuring phenomena and hopefully it’ll be shortlived.”